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GIBRALTAR has dismissed threats from Spanish politicians trying to scupper a Brexit deal and vowed to stand alongside Britain as it leaves the European Union (EU).

Standing in for Andrew Marr, Nick Robinson quizzed Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar’s chief minister, on whether Spain might try to scupper a Brexit deal “at one minute to midnight” as a last-minute tactic to push for joint sovereignty over the Rock.

The chief minister replied that Spain’s former foreign minister, Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo had “played that card” ever since Briton’s voted to leave the bloc in June, and thanked him for showing his hand so early.

The Gibraltar government has previously accused the Spanish of using the overseas territory as a bargaining chip in the UK’s European divorce talks.

Spain tried to float the idea of a Spanish citizenship for the 30,000 residents of the Rock, after 96 per cent of them voted in favour of Remain. But the idea was slapped down by Gibraltar’s leaders who have been vocal in their support for Theresa May’s Government.

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“It’s a red, white and blue Brexit for us – we’re going to continue to stay British, even if that seems like a very hard choice at the moment for us.”

Also speaking to Sky New’s Dermot Murnaghan, he suggested that freedom of movement rules for the Rock should be significantly different from mainland UK.

He said: “We’re talking about the liberty of being able to travel in and out of Gibraltar in the day.”

“Freedom of movement in Gibraltar doesn’t imply immigration like it applies in the United Kingdom.”

“We’re not an island and that’s why the freedom of movement issue is so relevant.”